Eating out is such a pain!

My biggest problem is I am so shy that asking for what seems like special treatment (silly, I know) is impossible. I am working on that though!

Totally understandable. But having worked as a waitress, it's honestly not a big deal-- people make special requests all the time! And the only time it's a problem is when somebody is a jerk about it, which I know you wouldn't be :)

Last night met my hubby and his running club at a local tavern for dinner after they ran. (They are "beer runners"). I've been there before, they are great folks. I ordered a bacon blue cheese burger, medium rare, with no bun and no fries. They gave me a small side salad with dressing on the side. I ate my burger with a fork and knife. (My kids ate their burgers on buns.) I'm now 8 months out, so I was able to eat the whole 6 ounce burger.

We eat out alot. I take a lot of food home. Let the wait staff bring you water. It doesn't hurt to have it on the table. I just always re-assure them that the food is fine (when I only eat about 1/4 of an entree) and that I just have a very small appetite. Then I ask for a box. Sometimes, I 'll ask for the box right away and pack up half of the entree immediately.

I also order appetizers as my entree pretty frequently. I also let them put the sides on the plate and I don't eat the potato - I'll usually munch a bite or two of the veg.

My only concern eating out is with sauces that are used. Some are liquid sugar and carbs! Otherwise I find it easy to find something appropriate but harder to find something that I like as well.

I am four years out, have tremendous restriction and love eating out. I always go for a protein app or soup. I see that the add-ons have been mentioned and I almost always go that route it it's available. My kids loves salads, but my oldest is a vegetarian, so we ask for her meat on the side and that's my meal.

I've not been to RL ever but looking at their menu, I'd order grilled shrimp salad and a cup of soup, shrimp and wood grilled chicken no rice, they appear to have an entire "lighter" menu, too. In the apps, I would order a shrimp ****tail, those yummy looking seafood stuffed mushrooms or the mussels. (I ALWAYS order mussels if I can.)

You will get there. It does get easier.

So learn to not give one ounce of thought to people looking at your or servers second guessing you. I order whatever sounds good and I either take the left overs or I don't depending on what it is. Some servers ask me if I didn't like it? At first, I was like... blah blah I did but I'm just not that hungry. But I'm more bitter now LOL I tell them that the server size was just too large. It's true for me or a person with a normal stomach too, most serving sizes are way too big and no one needs to eat that much. So if you're up to it tell them the serving size was just too big. You don't need to tell them why and on that note I'd never tell them anything about WLS either. It's a server at a restaurant they don't need that info and TBH they don't care. All they need to know is you arn't mad about your food and you either do or do not want a doggie bag.

Oh and as time goes by you will be able to eat more and it won't look like you didn't eat a thing. So in the future your RL lunch won't be 10 meals :-)

For my first six months, I would share a plate with my husband (or whoever). They would add on another protein (like a few shrimp with a steak), and I would order soup or a side dish and that's all I needed.

After that, I asked for half-portions, explaining that I had a tiny appetite but a great appreciation for good food. More times than not, most places were happy to accommodate my requests. (I never once showed anyone a surgery card). When I traveled for work, I would order off of the room service menu, but make up my own dinner by what they had in the kitchen and they figured out a way to make it happen for me.